THEORY OF DEMOCRACY AND THE PRACTICE OF THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT: MUTUAL POTENTIATION OR MUTUAL REJECTION?

Abstract

The inconsistency of the praxeological embodiment of phenomena and processes with their theoretical and conceptual prototypes is one of the most acute problematic challenges of social disciplines for many centuries. There are several reasons behind such problematic consequences. First, as a rule, we are talking about system objects consisting of elements, the functionality and meaning of which can undergo significant changes under the influence of the principles of historicism and development. Secondly, in the social sphere, phenomena and events unfold under the influence not only of a certain internal logic, but also of external influences – in particular, subjective and contextual. If subject influence reflects the desire of social subjects to achieve their own (individual, corporate, party, etc.) goal under the aegis of social phenomena and processes, then contextual influence is due to the ideological, axiological, sociocultural, etc. load of any specific historical status quo. There is a lot of well-argued criticism and complaints about the practical realities of the modern domestic educational environment. Among the many reasons that determine the unsatisfactory state of affairs, most researchers recognize the devastating impact of non-compliance with the principles and norms of democracy – in particular, first of all, the procedures of deliberative democracy when making political-management decisions in the educational sphere. It is this reason that makes possible the low qualification and incompetence of managers, their irresponsibility, voluntarism and abuse of official opportunities. And the lack of timely and adequate sanctions for such functional defects only deepens general negativism, leads to its peculiar cultivation. Obviously, it is not necessary to explain that such a negative trend has a demoralizing effect on the public consciousness and discredits those social processes and social institutions that are called to perform the function of the main drivers of social progress.